It’s the third week of September, which means it is once again time for the annual “National Farm Safety and Health Week” in the U.S. For many rural areas, harvest season is the busiest time of year, and also one of the most dangerous. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the agriculture industry is consistently at the highest risk for occupational injuries and fatalities, with 453 fatalities in 2021, or an equivalent of 19.5 deaths per 100,000 workers. Farming is also one of the few industries in which family members, including children, are also at risk for fatal and nonfatal injuries.
The theme of this year’s National Farm Safety Week, “Safety First, Avoid the Worst,” serves as a reminder to farmers, ranchers, and other ag professionals to be proactive about safety. As Dan Neenan of the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety explains, the word “accident” is a misnomer. “An accident in most people’s mind means there’s nothing that could have been done to prevent it,” he told USDA in a recent discussion. Neenan says that’s why this year’s theme also brings attention to “preventable incidents.”
To help farms, ranches, and other operations refresh their safety practices and awareness, free webinars will be hosted each weekday that focus on accident prevention, mental and physical health, and safety best practices. Each live webinar will be available at AgriSafe HERE. The schedule includes:
Monday, Sept. 22 – Equipment and Rural Roadway Safety
11 a.m. CDT – Road Safety and Agriculture As We Age
1 p.m. CDT – Farm Equipment Hits the Highway: Growing Risks and Smarter Solutions
Tuesday, Sept. 23 – Health and Wellness
11 a.m. CDT – Changing Our Mental and Emotional Trajectory (COMET) Community Training
1 p.m. CDT – Strong Roots: Keeping Farming in the Family Through Health and Resilience
Wednesday, Sept. 24 – Generations of Farming
11 a.m. CDT – Communication Coaching to Support Farm Harmony Across Generations
1 p.m. CDT – Too Young to Plow Alone: Keeping Youth Safe on the Farm with AYWG & HAYWG
Thursday, Sept. 25 – Confined Space
11 a.m. CDT – Confined Spaces in Agriculture
1 p.m. CDT – AgriSafe Natural Disaster Recovery Response Think Tank
Friday, Sept. 26 – ATV/UTV
11 a.m. CDT – Safe Operation of ATVs and UTVs for Agriculture
1 p.m. CDT – Wheels of Misfortune: Off-Road Vehicles on Public Roadways
AgriSafe also offers training and rescue programs throughout the year on a variety of topics and provides additional webinars to increase awareness for agricultural safety.
The annual National Farm Safety and Health Week promotion was initiated by the National Safety Council and has been proclaimed as such by each sitting U.S. President since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944. National Farm Safety and Health Week is led by the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety (NECAS), the agricultural partner of the National Safety Council. (Sources: Farm Bureau, AgriSafe).
